Secrets Of The Night
by calliope1975
Summary: Dick Grayson comes to Starling City to track down an escaped criminal and ends up entangled with Team Arrow. And he thought Batman was complicated.
1. Chapter 1

Felicity opened the door to Kaffeine and was greeted with a blast of warm air. She eagerly stepped inside, grateful to escape the cold. Starling City's winters were usually pretty mild, but a rare cold snap had her longing for a heater and something delicious to warm her. The store was close to closing but she still had time to order a peppermint mocha. Crime had taken a rare holiday and she'd been able to duck out of the Arrow Cave early.

Oliver didn't like when she referred to it as such but really, what else were they going to call it? He hadn't offered any better alternatives so Arrow Cave it was.

The aforementioned Arrow Cave had become crowded as of late. Roy and Sara were now regulars and while it was normal to see them hanging out or training, there had been an adjustment period. And when Oliver and Sara's rekindled…relationship…came to light, well, awkward was too kind a word to use. Diggle had been silently disapproving. Roy had been clueless. And Felicity had been…well, she was still trying to figure that out.

She hadn't been jealous per say. It was more complicated than that. She cared about Oliver and Sara. She didn't know Sara very well, but they had the beginnings of a friendship. And she couldn't see how this relationship would help mend the fences broken with Laurel. And Oliver? Her feelings for him were even more complex. Some of which she wasn't ready to examine. They were better left buried and ignored. Her heart was safer that way.

But envy? That was an emotion she was becoming quite familiar with. Diggle had Lyla. Oliver had Sara. And while Roy couldn't tell Thea what he did at night with her brother, she was still a soft place for him to land.

Felicity had an apartment she rarely saw, and a mother she rarely phoned. There wasn't a lot of time to date even if she had met someone. Barry had potential, but he was still _sleeping_. The loneliness was building and it was hard not to withdraw sometimes. But when that desire to pull away set in, she worked extra hard to stay present and engaged.

Lost in thought, she missed her name being called the first time. The barista's bored, annoyed tone finally broke through. She grabbed her drink and turned abruptly, catching her heel in a groove and only stopped from tumbling to the ground because of someone's quick reflexes.

"Whoa there." He grabbed her around the waist with one hand and plucked the drink out of her hand with another before gently righting her. "You okay there? That was an impressive pirouette. Or…something. That's the only ballet term I know."

Felicity blinked a few times and pushed her glasses back up her nose. "Sorry about that. I'm not normally this clumsy. At least, not with my body. Usually with my mouth. That did not come out how I intended."

He stared at her bemused. "You will not hear me complaining when a beautiful woman falls into my arms."

She smiled at him. "Do lines like that work for you?"

"Sometimes," he shrugged.

He was about half a foot taller than her, all lean muscle under a black t-shirt covered with a leather jacket. Felicity couldn't help but notice he was cute. Really cute. His dark blue eyes made a striking combo with his too long on top black hair that was shoved haphazardly to the side.

She shook her head and laughed softly. "May I have my drink back?"

He glanced at her drink then back at her. He started to hand it back to her then stopped and pulled back. "You can. If I can get a name."

"Are you holding my drink hostage?"

"No. It's temporarily detained."

"Felicity Smoak."

"Nice to meet you, Felicity." He handed her drink over.

"And yourself?"

"Richard Grayson. My friends call me Dick. And yes, I've heard all the jokes."

"I wouldn't have said anything."

"No, but you would have thought it. You're thinking about them right now, aren't you?"

She grinned. "Maybe."

Dick gestured to a table and asked, "Join me?" just as the barista started putting chairs on the table.

"Maybe another time. Looks like we're getting kicked out."

He followed her as she left the shop. She was parked not far from the entrance and stopped at her car. "Do you live around here?" she asked.

"No, actually. I'm staying at the Ritz down the street."

"Oh. Visiting someone? Business? Wait. Sorry, I'm being nosy."

He grinned. "I don't mind. I guess you could say it's business. I'm trying to…coordinate a meeting with someone."

Felicity stepped off the curb and unlocked her door. "Well, good luck with that. Thanks for the save earlier. My ankle thanks you."

She got inside and he shut her door. He motioned for her to roll her window down and after starting the engine, she obliged.

He leaned down and spoke. "I'm not sure how long I'll be in town, but…would you be interested in dinner tomorrow?"

Felicity paused. "Dinner?"

"Yes, dinner. It's the one that's after lunch but before the nightcaps begin. Sometimes called supper, but I think that's only in the South."

She tried to frown at his sarcasm but ended up laughing instead.

"Yes, I may have heard of it. I…I think I could make an early dinner."

"Excellent. Meet me in the lobby of the Ritz at…5:30?" At her nod, he continued. "It's public. You'll be safe in case you're worried about that. Which, if what I've read about this town is true, you should be."

She waved a hand out the window as she pulled away from the curb. He stood for a moment and watched the taillights fade. Glancing at his watch, he noted he had a few hours before he had to suit up and start his hunt. He hadn't been looking forward to this trip, but a sudden need for caffeine and a blonde in glasses had things looking up.


	2. Chapter 2

**_These characters are not doing what I planned so I don't know where this is headed. It's a fun ride, though! Thanks for all the feedback. I really appreciate it!_**

Dick returned to his hotel room after a few hours of searching the city and trying to get a layout of the land. He stripped off his uniform, leaving it on the floor where it fell and stepped into the small bathroom. He ran the water until steam fogged the mirror and stepped under the spray, stretching his neck as the hot water massaged his muscles.

There'd been no sight of the Mad Hatter. After escaping Arkham Asylum in Gotham City, the psychopath had headed to Blüdhaven, wreaked a bunch of havoc, and then headed to Starling City before he'd been able to capture him.

Arkham, he scoffed. He may agree with his mentor's belief in not killing, but he would feel no great loss if someone burned that house of evil to the ground. Or, you know, at the very least invested in some locks that actually worked and kept the criminals inside.

And the Mad Hatter was a criminal. Nasty little man with a weird hat obsession and an unhealthy fixation on _Alice in Wonderland_. Along with young women who looked like Alice. He was a master of mind control and whenever he broke out of Arkham people got hurt. Dick was annoyed that he'd managed to slip through his fingers in Blüdhaven, and even more aggravated now that he'd set his sights on Starling City.

Reports of people behaving oddly and losing time as well as a string of blonde women being attacked had been deemed unrelated by the local police. But Dick knew better.

Perhaps this Arrow guy and the blonde who went by Canary would catch the Hatter first. He'd followed them in the news and had his ex try to find more information on them. Though they worked outside the law, they were clearly the good guys in this town. Besides, it wouldn't hurt to have some new allies. The more, the merrier, he liked to say. It was a point he and Bruce disagreed on.

Growing up as Bruce Wayne's ward had been both the best and worst thing to happen to him. He'd been so lost when his parents had died, and Bruce had not only understood, he'd taken that pain and anger and made him into a better person. Made him into Robin. He laughed to himself. Robin, The Boy Wonder. He'd been so young.

But he wasn't a boy anymore. And he'd grown tired of being the sidekick. He'd chafed under the rules and restrictions. So, he'd hung up the yellow and red. Moved to Blüdhaven. Put on the black and blue. Renamed himself. Made a life. A good one, he thought.

He shouldn't have asked Felicity out on a date. He didn't have time for diversions, as cute as they may be. But she'd literally fallen into his arms – what was he to do?

He stepped out of the shower, dried off, then flopped onto the bed. It would be easy. Flirt with an attractive woman, catch a criminal, maybe scope out his fellow vigilantes, and head back home. Easy. Right?

Felicity's day was full of back-to-back meetings. Boring meetings. But busy enough that she almost forgot about her date. One of the finance committee members mentioned how good the in-hotel restaurant at the Plaza was, and Felicity actually smacked her head when she remembered. Plaza. Hotel. Restaurant. Ritz. Dammit. It was almost 5 now and this meeting didn't show any signs of slowing down.

She looked over at Oliver who was leaning back in his chair. He looked like he was paying attention, but she could tell he wasn't. The farther the lean, the further his attention had wandered.

She quietly gathered her things and slipped out of the conference room without anyone noticing. John was standing guard outside and looked up when her heel clicks caught his attention.

"Couldn't take it anymore?"

"No. Well, yes. But that's not why I'm leaving. Really, though, who schedules a four hour meeting? Most adults have an attention span of 40 minutes. And it was all math, John. Rows and rows of boring numbers." She shuddered. "I'm pretty sure some of it was inaccurate, too. I'd like to see their accounting programs…"

"Weren't you trying to leave?"

"Hmm…what? Oh, yeah. I have a date. And I have," she glanced at a wall clock, "twenty-five minutes to get there."

"Need a ride?"

"No no, but thanks. It's just an early dinner. I'll see you later tonight."

She had gathered her things and was headed to the elevator when John asked one last question. "Did you tell Oliver?"

She paused on buttoning up her overcoat. "That I was leaving? He was zoned out. I texted him, though."

"No, about the date."

"Why would I need to tell Oliver who I'm dating? Besides, I just met him. This might be a disaster, and I'll never see him again."

Felicity pressed the Down button and yelled out if they went to Angelo's she'd bring him a cannoli. He yelled back only if it was chocolate.

The elevator doors slid shut and the indicator light went out as it headed for the ground floor.

John shook his head and groaned quietly. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe his one partner in crime would behave like an adult for once about their 2nd partner in crime. Perhaps he'd realize that Felicity deserved to have someone special in her life and while he would want to know about this new guy, as did John, he would ask in a respectful, friendly manner.

He pulled a Lifesavers mint from his pocket and popped it in his mouth. Yeah, probably not.

Felicity found an empty parking space near the Ritz and quickly fed the meter. She managed to be only five minutes late even after finding herself behind the slowest pickup driver in Starling and then hitting a patch of construction.

The doorman held the door for her as she searched the lobby of the Ritz for her date and found him standing in front of a TV watching footage of a Gotham Blades/Detroit Red Wings hockey game. She walked up behind him and hesitantly tapped him on his shoulder.

"Hi," she said.

He looked over his shoulder, a smile spreading when he saw her.

"Hi yourself."

"Sorry I'm late, but we didn't exchange numbers so I couldn't call or text."

"No problem. You're not that late and you're here now. All good."

"Okay. So there's an Italian place, Angelo's, about two blocks away that's really good. Unless you had a place picked out already?"

"Nope. Sounds good."

As they walked few blocks to the restaurant, they made small talk and she used the opportunity to check him out. He was wearing a dark blue sweater over a white button down topped with a black leather jacket. Jeans and motorcycle boots completed the outfit.

She winced when she realized she'd missed the last thing he'd said because she was looking at his neck.

"What was that?"

"I, uh, think we're here?"

"Yes, you are correct. We are."

They were seated and agreed on a Merlot from 2010. After ordering - fettuccine belmondo for her, traditional lasagna for him – they stared at each other awkwardly.

He laughed and pushed his hair out of his eyes.

"First dates are weird," he stated.

She smiled. "Yes, they are. And I haven't been on a date in forever. Not because no one wants to date me. It's just, my job, it's really busy. Takes up most of my time."

"What do you do?"

She pressed her lips together then plastered a smile on her face. "I am an Executive Assistant at Queen Consolidated."

"And judging from your expression, you…hate your job?"

"No! No. I don't hate it. I, um, started in IT, and I'm probably better at that. But this…opportunity arose, and I took it."

"My ex is really good with computers." At her raised eyebrows, he continued, "I know you're not supposed to talk about exes on dates, but you remind me of her. In a good way." And she did. It wasn't just the glasses either. It was in the unmistakable intelligence he saw staring back at him.

"So, how about yourself? What do you do? Actually, I don't even know where you live."

"I'm a bartender from Blüdhaven. Grew up in the circus…"

"I'm sorry, did you say _circus_?"

He grinned. "I did. It was…wait, have you Googled me?"

"I did not. I mean, I won't lie, I would have, but I was really tired last night and then Oliver had me running around all day so I didn't have time. Why? What would I have found?"

"Well, I suppose I may as well tell you now before you read it online. Hold up. Oliver? Queen Consolidated. Do you work for Oliver Queen?"

Her eye narrowed and she schooled her expression. "I do. Is that a problem?"

"No, no. I've heard some stories about him, though."

"I doubt they're true," she ground out.

"Whoa. Hey, I'm not judging the guy. He knows the guy who raised me. Umm, I guess I should just say it. My parents were killed when I was thirteen, and Bruce Wayne took me in and raised me."

"Oh God, I'm sorry. So…Bruce Wayne. The billionaire. Is basically your Dad."

"Hah! No. Guardian. I think he'd react poorly if I ever called him Dad," he paused. "And now I kind of want to do it just to see the look on his face."

"So, um, let's go back. Tell me more about the circus…"

The food had been good, the wine even better, and she hadn't had this much fun in a really long time. Dick was smart, funny, and really nice to look at. He was well educated, well-traveled, had been raised by a man who's wealth made Oliver's look like pocket change, and yet he was down to earth and unpretentious. She almost wished she didn't have to leave. But she did.

Felicity had told him she had to go back to work because of an ongoing project. Dick couldn't say he wasn't disappointed, but he reminded himself he wasn't in Starling City for dating. Even if it had been a really good date. Her thoughts were sometimes too fast for her mouth, and he found it charming.

He was walking her back to her car when a figure darted out from an alley. The person was wearing a black hoodie and they bumped hard into Felicity causing her to fall. The person grabbed her purse and started to run. Dick acted instinctively, grabbing the hood and jerking back. His other hand reached to the front of the hoodie, blindly searching for the strings. Finding them, he tugged, hard, spun the person around and with a quick kick to the knee, forced the person to the ground. He leaned down and put a chokehold on the person before yanking the hood back.

A dirty, blonde kid stared back at him, choking. He couldn't have been more than eleven. Felicity had regained her footing and picked up her purse where the kid had dropped it. She was staring at both of them in shock.

"Apologize."

The kid sputtered and Dick loosened his hold. He coughed a few times before replying, "Screw you."

He tightened his hold again and leaned down, looking the kid in the eyes where he could see tears forming. "Don't test me, kid. Just apologize."

"S'ry," he said while looking at the ground.

"Mmm, it'll do." He hauled the kid up with one hand before finding his wallet with the other. Pulling out a $20, he held it out. "Crime's not cool, kid. Take it."

The kid hesitated before snatching the money. Before letting him go, Dick leaned down. "Don't steal. You're not good at it. Find another way." As soon as he was loose, the kid tripped over himself running away. Dick looked over at Felicity.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah." She looked down and frowned at the small scrape on her knee. "It's okay. I'll take care of it when I get to the…work. When I get to work." She looked down at the take out bag dangling from her wrist. "At least the cannoli survived."

Her car was only a few feet away and they paused next to it.

"Are you sure you're okay to drive?"

"Hmm? Yeah, I'm sure. That was…unsettling, but I'm okay. How did you…?

"Oh, um, I took a few self-defense classes."

She narrowed her eyes. "You learned that in self-defense?"

"Yep. My instructor was _really_ good. So…would you want to do this again? I'll be here for a few more days at the very least."

She looked at him oddly for a few seconds then shook her head lightly. "Yeah, I had fun. Tomorrow's Saturday, so maybe lunch?"

"Sounds good." They exchanged numbers and he said he'd call in the morning. She opened the door and started to get in, but he stopped her, leaning in giving her a quick kiss.

"Sorry. Was that okay?"

"Yeah. Yes, that was okay," she answered. So he did it again.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks so much for the review and follows. I hope you're enjoying this! It has a mind of its own and is the first time I've posted a story without it being 3/4 done. A challenge, but fun. **

Oliver paused in between pull-up sets. Up. Down. Up. Down. Every time he went down his gaze landed on the bank of computer monitors. Something was missing. Up. Down. Up. Down. Someone was missing.

He dropped to the floor and grabbed a water bottle. "Where's Felicity?"

John looked over at him and rolled his eyes to himself. An hour and forty-five minutes. He owed himself $10.

"She's on a date," he responded.

"A…what?" Oliver frowned.

Diggle didn't bother with a reply. He motioned for Roy to join him on the training mats and threw him a bamboo stick.

Thirty minutes later the door to the lair clanged shut, and the staccato of Felicity's heels echoed in the room. Oliver was waiting for her when she reached the last step.

"You're late. Where were you?" He hadn't meant the words to sound so accusatory, but he didn't take them back.

Felicity moved around him, threw her bag down and sat in front of her computer bank. "Hmmm? I had an appointment."

"Really. Diggle said you had a date."

She looked first towards John who was occupied with Roy, even though she knew he was well aware of everything happening around him. She glanced back at Oliver. "Well yeah, the appointment was a date." She pulled up her list of updates that needed to run.

"Who is this guy?"

She exhaled slowly. "I met him last night at a coffee shop."

He frowned. "And what do you know about him?"

"Are we really doing this?" she muttered. A side glance showed he hadn't moved. "I guess we are." She smiled tightly. "He's visiting. He's nice. And cute. And he's a really good kisser. Give me a few minutes and I can give you his social. Find out if he pays his bills on time. I can see which grocery store club cards he has. Let you know if he buys crunchy or smooth peanut butter. Would that make you happy?"

"Look, I'm not telling you what to do. But there've been reports of a guy out there attacking blondes."

"You think I'm not aware of that? Who told you about that to begin with? Don't answer because, spoiler - it was me."

"Exactly. And I need you focused, not dis…"

"If you say 'distracted' so help me… I am _not_ doing this again with you, Oliver."

The hushed tones were getting louder and carrying over to the training mat where Diggle was sparring with Roy. Roy looked over at the pair, sidetracked, and Diggle got a hit in.

Roy winced more in surprise than actual pain. "Are they always like this?"

Diggle gave him a long-suffering look. "Only on days that end in 'y'."

"Should we…I don't know…stop them?"

Diggle watched the pair for a few seconds before answering, "Felicity can handle herself. Now, focus."

A few minutes later, Sara bounded down the stairs stopping short when she found Oliver and Felicity in a heated staring contest. She looked over to Diggle who caught her eye and just shook his head and shrugged. She slowly approached the two before stepping forward and tugging on Felicity's wrist. "You're bleeding."

Felicity looked down at her knee and the thin trail of blood trailing down her shin. "Crap. I forgot. It doesn't hurt that much."

Sara led her over to the med kit and had her sit on the table.

"I think I can put a band aid on myself."

"I know. Just humor me." Felicity sat while Sara cleaned the scrape, covered it in an antibiotic and bandaged it. "What happened?"

"Well, I kinda got mugged. Attempted. A mugging attempt. Yeah."

"What?!" growled Oliver.

She held up a hand to calm him down. "Relax. I'm fine. We were walking to my car, and this kid came out of nowhere and grabbed my purse. But Dick handled it. I even got my purse back."

"Dick. His name is Dick. Sounds about right."

"Shut it. It's Richard. And you don't get to judge a guy you've never met." Her brow furrowed in thought. "I mean, haven't met lately. Did you ever hang out with Bruce Wayne?"

Oliver frowned in confusion at the abrupt change in topic. "Wayne? Not really. He's a pompous, superficial party boy who only cared about himself."

Four pairs of eyes stopped what they were doing and stared back at him. He huffed. "Which. I'm. Not. Anymore." Someone tried to stifle a laugh. He was pretty sure it was Roy. He'd remember that during their next training session.

"What does Bruce Wayne have to do with anything?"

"Well, I guess he did care about someone other than himself. Bruce became Dick's guardian when he was a teen. He said he'd seen you at some of the parties Bruce either threw or took him to. He also said you two didn't seem to like each other. Oh! And that one time he found you in the pool at Wayne Manor with three Sports Illustrated models. Dick also said there was no judgment on that – he was pretty impressed."

"I vaguely remember a kid who I would always see with Bruce. I didn't think much of it." He looked down at the floor. "Honestly, I don't think I ever cared enough to get the kid's name or figure out why he was there." Oliver started to say something else before stopping himself, turning, and walking away.

Felicity hopped off the table and headed to her computer chair. Sara trailed after her. "You said he took care of the mugger? How?"

She smiled. "He has the fastest reflexes I've ever seen. Somehow, he managed to grab the kid as he started running and force him to drop my purse. It was pretty impressive."

Sara grinned at her. "Are you seeing him again?"

"Yep. Tomorrow for lunch."

"Good. Have fun. You deserve it. And I may need details." She winked at her before walking over to John and Roy.

"Um, right. Sure." Felicity genuinely liked Sara. She did. But she didn't have a lot of girlfriends or people she shared her life with. She glanced over at Sara who was watching and critiquing the sparring session. Maybe that could change.

Felicity soon became focused on her updates. Stretching her back and taking a break, she held up a white bag and yelled at Digg his chocolate cannoli had not been harmed in the mugging. Diggle called a break on his and Roy's training.

He took the pastry out of the bag and moaned exaggeratedly at his first bite. "Bless you, Felicity. Best in the city."

Felicity noticed Roy longingly looked at the cannoli. "Sorry, Roy, I should've brought more than one. Maybe John will share."

Roy looked over at Diggle who with one look shut that idea down. "Don't worry about it. I'll just grab something later."

An alert popped up on Felicity's main screen. There was a robbery in progress at one of the few banks left operating in The Glades. "Looks like food's going to have to wait."

Within ten minutes, all four were ready to go.

"Sara and I will take the bike. Follow behind us, but don't engage," Oliver said. He pointed to Roy. "Especially you. Just watch and learn."

Roy's face went from anticipation to disappointment. Diggle clapped him on his shoulder. "He wants you to learn before you blindly join us in the field. And he's right. Just think of it as basic training."

Roy's shoulders dropped and he nodded in acceptance. They all headed up the stairs together. Diggle trailed the group up the stairs before pausing and getting Felicity's attention. When she looked up, he deadpanned, "The way this is going, we're going to need a van soon. I am not driving a van, Felicity."

Her laughter followed him out the door.

Dick stood across a rooftop watching four figures engage a small group of men who had attempted to rob a bank. The one in green with a thing for arrows appeared to be the leader, calling out instructions. The blonde used a bo staff – quite effectively. Another person in a red hood mostly held himself back from the action, though he started to step forward multiple times before stopping himself. Finally, there was another large man who looked to be a civilian. Except his firing skills were too good. Maybe ex-cop or military.

As he observed, he made call to his ex-girlfriend, Barbara. It rang three times before she picked up.

"Hello, Dick. What do you need?"

"I'm hurt, Babs. I don't just call when I need something."

"Right. Except I know you're out of town looking for the Hatter. And it's gotta be, mmm, 11 pm there in Starling City?"

"Thereabouts."

"Which means it's almost 2 here. I repeat – what do you need?"

"Fine, I do need something. I'm watching a group of vigilantes fight and I know they have to be in contact. I'm guessing wireless. I need you to work your magic and get me into that signal."

"If it's secure, I'm pretty sure they don't want to let you play."

"They don't even know I'm here. I'm sure they'd be super welcoming. I'm tons of fun."

"Riiiight. Anyway, I've traced your phone. There are a bunch of frequencies surrounding you, but…it looks like there's only one that has more than your average security. Let me see what I can do."

"I believe in you."

He could hear the eye roll over the phone.

Three minutes later, after a string of curse words, he said, "If you can't do it…"

"Never say those words to me again. You know better. Ahh! You're in. And you owe me, Dick. Big time. I have to get up early. If you find out who those people are, find out their tech support. They're good. But not as good as me."

"Modesty, Babs. It's a concept you might want to explore."

"Nahh, I'm good. Talk to you later."

He laughed. Barbara Gordon may have had her ability to walk taken away by a bullet to her spine, but she would never let a little thing like that get in her way. They didn't call her the Oracle for nothing.

He focused on the voices he was hearing below him. These men and this crime weren't connected to the Hatter and his help wasn't needed, but he did want to know who he might be joining.

From what he could surmise, a gruff voice that was electronically manipulated was the arrow guy. It was easy to sort out the voices after that. The criminals were quickly dispatched; they clearly weren't professionals.

Dick turned to leave when the leader asked Felicity how close the police were to arriving. He jolted to a stop. Felicity. He didn't believe in coincidence and was proven correct when a familiar voice answered. Crap. Was this going to make things more complicated? Probably. Then he grinned. It also made things way more interesting.

Lunch tomorrow was going to be fun.


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks again for the support! It means a lot to me; I really appreciate all the comments and follows.

His leg wouldn't stop moving. Bouncing up and down. It was supremely annoying. He wasn't normally a nervous person. But this wasn't really a normal situation. Dick sat in the lobby of his hotel, scrolling through his emails on his phone and answering the ones that couldn't wait. Felicity was going to meet him again at the Ritz and her text had promised there was a diner nearby that was pretty good.

She wasn't supposed to be there for another fifteen minutes, but he hadn't been able to stay in his hotel room. It was too small and the walls kept closing in on him. He hadn't slept well last night either. Should he tell her who he was? She was one of the good guys, that was clear. But he kept his identity secret for a reason. He had only just met her, but she was smart. How long would it be before she connected the dots between him and Batman?

This was getting complicated. He hated complicated. For all the chaos he found himself involved in, he liked to think he was a simple guy. His thoughts were interrupted when he spotted Felicity entering the lobby. She had a bright yellow button down shirt over jeans topped with a light trench coat. She'd forgone heels for flats and he had to look down a little further when they reached each other.

She went in for a hug while he tried to kiss her cheek and it resulted in a mess of limbs and painful contact between his chin and her forehead.

"Sorry," they said in unison. Awkward laughter followed.

He followed her to the diner. They chatted superficially on the way – the weather, how he liked Starling City, how his meeting had gone. He'd hedged with the last topic. Made a vague statement about having a few more meetings before wrapping up his business. He was frustrated with lack of leads for the Hatter. He normally made his presence known much more quickly and the lack of leads was concerning.

A waiter seated them and took their order.

More casual conversation filled the time until Dick figured he couldn't put it off any longer.

He took a long drink from his water glass before broaching the subject. He didn't want to lord the knowledge he had over her. It wasn't about trapping her, but he did want to see how much she would say.

"So, I was reading about these, uh, vigilantes you've got here."

She immediately stilled. "Hmm?"

"Yeah, the guy with the arrows? A blonde girl? They've caught, or killed, some pretty nasty criminals."

"Yes," she said slowly. "I suppose they have."

"What do you think about them?"

"What do I…think? About them?"

He couldn't stop the grin tugging at his lips. She was adorable. And a terrible liar.

"Yeah." He put his arms on the table and leaned forward. "Do you think they're a good thing for the city? Are they helping?"

"I… Yes. I do." She paused. "Actually, the Arrow saved me once."

He frowned. "Why did you need to be 'saved'?"

Felicity blinked a few times. "This guy took me. Drug dealer. He was trying to draw out the Arrow. It worked. It was…not pleasant. But, I will be forever grateful for his help."

Dick reached across the table and stilled Felicity's hand from where it was nervously playing with her spoon.

"I'm sorry," he said sincerely. "No one deserves to be victimized or terrorized like that."

She nodded but didn't respond. "You know, both Gotham and Blüdhaven have their own crime fighters."

Her eyes flew to his. "You do? I mean, I've heard of the guy in Gotham. They call him Batman?"

He sniggered. "Yeah, the Batman. Quite the character."

"I haven't heard about any others."

"Well, Blüdhaven's a smaller city; we don't make the news as much with Gotham so close. But, you know, he's just as good as Batman. Maybe better. Objectively speaking."

"Have you seen him?"

"Have I seen him?"

"Mmm hmm? Are there any pictures or footage?"

"Pictures?" He could almost feel his body temperature rise and he started to sweat. Maybe he was a bad liar, too. He needed to abort this line of questioning until he figured out what to say. Luckily, he was saved from saying anything when their food arrived distracting her.

They took their time at lunch and when they finished they walked to the nearby park which was filled with families, excited dogs, and other residents enjoying the sun and warmer temperature.

Felicity watched him as stopped and threw a ball for a dog who decided any human was as good as their owner for playing fetch. They found an empty bench and watched a few kids feed the ducks in the small pond. He caught her smiling stupidly at him.

"What?"

"Hmm? Nothing. I'm just having a good time. It's been awhile, I guess."

He could imagine. If her life was anything like his, fun times were few and far between. There was always another bad guy around the corner. Another crime to prevent. When you took on a mission, a life like theirs, your happiness tended to fall by the wayside.

"Yeah, I'm a pretty fun guy." At her look, he laughed. "Sorry, just kidding, but really, I'm having a good time, too."

Her smile was so genuine and lit up her face; he couldn't resist leaning and stealing a quick kiss. She leaned towards him and wiped off the lingering lipstick on his lips.

They stayed in the park until it began to get dark. They both took their time walking back to the hotel and she didn't pull away when he took her hand in his.

Eventually, they reached the lobby. Felicity knew it was time but she was reluctant to leave. She smiled up at him and said, "I should probably go."

He stepped closer, sliding an arm around her waist and tugging her closer. He leaned down and spoke low in her ear. "Maybe you should stay."

She closed her eyes and leaned into him rubbing her nose against his neck, inhaling the light scent of his cologne. She felt his hand shift on her waist and shivered when it made contact with her skin under her shirt.

She stayed.


	5. Chapter 5

_Thanks so much for the follows and comments. This fic has been a struggle and challenge for me but also a really good learning experience. There's one chapter after this and it's done so I'll post that in just a few. _

_For those wondering, Felicity and Oliver don't end up together at the end. There's Jealous!Oliver and potential but no happy ending. No unhappy ending either, though. The way the story developed it just didn't work out to end with them together. Get out now if that's what you're looking for! :D _

_Also, that Dr. Suess thing - it's totally a real thing. Who knew?_

Dick had left ten minutes ago to get them food. Room service hadn't interested either of them, but there was a Mexican place down the street that had amazing tacos. She lay there trying to decide if this had been a mistake. It didn't feel like a mistake.

Her phone chimed with an alert. She'd set up signals on several of the traffic cameras down by the docks. Most of the women who'd been attacked had been found in the warehouse district. Looks like one of the cameras on First and Baker had caught some suspicious activity.

She scrambled out of bed and threw on her clothes. Her phone rang shrilly in the quiet. "Hey John. Yeah, I just got the alert. I'm on my way."

She hung up, searching for her shoe. Finally, dropping to her knees, she looked under the bed. She found her shoe. Along with what looked like black tactical clothing of some sort. She could see a line of blue running down one side. Two thin clubs were lying haphazardly across the clothing. It wasn't folded and looked like it had been messily shoved under the bed. She started to pull it out when her phone rang again. It was Oliver this time. She rolled her eyes at his stern tone and promised him she'd be there as soon as possible.

Felicity wasn't sure that he could get brusquer with her, but he'd managed to find a way these past few days. She couldn't figure out what his problem was – he had Sara, they were making progress, slow progress, but still progress in tracking down the source of the mirukuru, and Roy was actually listening to his advice and training. She pushed his gruff behavior to the back of her mind; she had more important things to deal with.

She grabbed her purse and was texting Dick that she had an emergency when he returned with two bags of food on one arm and drinks in both hands. Finding her dressed, he stopped short.

"Did I…take too long?"

"No, no, sorry, I have to leave. Work emergency. Believe me, if it wasn't extremely important, I'd try to get out of it, but I can't. Because work. You know?"

"Hey, it's okay. I understand. Go. Be careful driving."

She was halfway out the door when she stopped and turned back. "I…it's not because…I just want you to know this was, umm…"

He set the food on the floor and walked over to her taking her face in his hands. He leaned down and kissed her slowly before smiling. "I get it. Me, too." She smiled back before leaving.

He looked longingly at the bags of food. That burrito he'd ordered had smelled delicious. Then he looked at the tangled sheets on the empty bed. He sighed and rolled his shoulders. Work emergency, huh? He grabbed the neck of his shirt and tugged it off. Guess it was time to suit up.

Felicity hurried down the stairs of the lair taking her coat off as she walked being careful not to trip. Oliver and Sara were already dressed and in the process of gearing up.

"I got the alert. It looks like there's a lot of activity down at Hallston's Wharf, and it seems a little too late at night for that. I just need to pull up some feeds and see…" she halted when she heard someone snicker.

She looked up to find everyone staring at her. "What?"

Roy bit his lip to stop himself from laughing. "Um, you, uh, have something on your neck."

Felicity's hand instinctively flew to the left side of her neck where she just knew a bruise had formed. Dammit. She felt her cheeks flush. But then it got worse.

Sara grinned at her. "You missed a button."

Felicity closed her eyes and willed the floor to open up and swallow her whole. She gave it five seconds. When it didn't happen, she took a deep breath, opened her eyes, and walked with as much dignity as she could muster to her desk.

"I'll...I'll fix it when you leave. Which you should all do. Now."

Diggle shook his head disapprovingly at the others and gave her a sympathetic smile. He squeezed her shoulder as he passed.

Oliver hadn't said a word to her, and she couldn't read the look he was giving her. It vacillated between judgmental and almost like he was going to be sick. He started to say something before clenching his jaw and ascending the staircase.

Sara paused as she passed, "I'm going to need details," before rolling her eyes at the terse "Sara!" that was shouted from above.

Felicity took a deep breath and pushed aside her embarrassment because really, she hadn't done anything for which she needed to feel embarrassed, and focused on trying to figure out what was happening at Hallston's Wharf.

The Mad Hatter surveyed the warehouse filled with boxes and workers milling around. It had taken him days to set up this operation. He normally didn't stray so far from Gotham but the prospect of getting his hands on Dr. Seuss' famed hat collection was too tempting to resist. He'd tracked them to Starling City, where they waited to be put on display at the local modern art museum. Hundreds of hats, all for the taking. The security had been abysmal, and it hadn't taken much time or effort to get the workers to do his bidding.

He was admiring a particularly pristine Bowler from the mid-1800s when a hooded man in green broke through one of the side entrances. He dove to the left as an arrow whizzed by, nicking him on the arm.

"Get him!" he screamed at the workers surrounding him. He turned a dial attached to his own hat and watched in glee as they turned en masse at the intruder.

"What the hell was that?" Oliver growled. He sent another arrow after the man wearing a green top hat and black and white checkered pants. He began his pursuit only to be blocked by two beefy dock workers. Four more men approached and surrounded him.

Dick pried an air duct open on the roof and made his way to the rafters. Looking down he spied a familiar scene. Thirty or so men all blank eyed with one mission. To kill anyone trying to stop the Hatter. The man was nothing if not predictable. He quickly mapped out the warehouse and located his fellow vigilantes.

"These guys aren't stopping. But they're also not reacting. Something's wrong with them," reported Diggle. He was using a tranquilizer gun, taking down the men one by one.

"Felicity! Figure out how he's controlling…"

"I'm trying."

Dick figured now was as good a time as any to introduce himself. He swung down from the rafters, grabbing on to a pipe and swinging around once before letting go and hitting the ground, rolling into a crouch to minimize the impact. He righted himself, pulling his eskrima out and making sure his grip was tight.

"I might be able to help with that. Also, you guys really need code names."

He found himself looking into the sharp pointy end of an arrow. "Who the hell are you?"

"Whoa, there. I'm a friendly. Call me Nightwing. Just here to help. I've dealt with this guy before. He's kinda insane. And you've got two coming up on your left that could use those arrows more than me."

Oliver spun and shot two arrows in rapid succession, wounding his approaching attackers. He turned back, but _Nightwing_ was already halfway across the warehouse floor.

"Fel…dammit. Who is this guy?" he hissed.

"Yeah, I can hear him. I don't know. Get me a visual," she replied.

"Guys, I'm right here. You shouldn't talk about people behind their back. It's rude. And…ow! Dammit." He'd dodged the first guy's fist, but the second one behind him caught him in the back above his kidney. An elbow to one guy's chin put him out of commission and a quick sweep of the legs took the other one down.

Felicity could only find two cameras inside the warehouse and they were fixed. She watched the feeds and waited until the interloper finally came into view. He wore all black except for a bright blue patch that spread across his chest and down both arms. A black domino mask similar to Sara's covered most of his face.

The whole outfit was familiar. She'd seen that color before somewhere, but she couldn't place it. The voice, though. It was deeper, but almost like… "Oh you have _got_ to be kidding me!"

Dick grimaced. That was the voice of a girl who'd just blown his cover.

"I can explain."

"I don't want to hear it!"

"What's going on?" asked Roy.

"I guess this is why you have so many ridiculous muscles," Felicity grumbled.

"Well, your tattoo makes a lot more sense," Dick replied.

"Tattoo? You have a tattoo?" asked Roy.

"What's this about muscles?" chimed Sara.

"Everyone. Stop. Talking," growled Oliver.

"I would appreciate that," said Digg.

"Just…everybody focus on not getting killed," Felicity replied. "I will deal with _you_ later."

"Look, let me give you the Cliff's Notes version. Mad Hatter. Crazy. Has a stupid obsession with hats. Uses mind control – usually with radio waves of some kind. If they're wearing a hat, get if off of them. Except, some of these people aren't. Which means…hmm…he's using an additional method here. Look for a radio or anything that can transmit sound. Even if we can't hear it. But these people are civilians. Keep the serious injuries to a minimum."

He sidestepped a guy with a wrench. These men weren't trained fighters and were easily put down, but there were a lot of them.

Minutes went by and all Felicity could hear were a lot of grunts and thuds.

She heard Diggle next. "What about a loudspeaker? Would that work?"

Dick looked around, quickly finding two on either side of the warehouse.

"Hey Arrow Guy. Can you take out those speakers at 3 and 9 o'clock?"

He didn't get a reply but sparks flew as an arrow pierced both devices. "Huh. Nice shot."

"If there's someone out there who's really excellent with computers could reverse this signal, it would be really helpful."

"I'm going to assume you're talking about me," muttered Felicity. A few key strokes honed her in on several signals emitting from the warehouse area. It took longer to narrow down which one was the Hatter's.

Sara caught sight of short man in a ridiculous hat hovering in a doorway from across the room. She ducked under a punch and sprinted after him. She entered a hallway and spotted three offices, doors closed. The first door she kicked opened to an empty office.

In the second office she found the man holding a cell phone. He was shorter than her, shaggy red hair under an oversized green top hat. There was a young girl, blonde, slumped next to him. A ring of dark bruises circled her throat, and her eyes were unseeing. By her coloring, or lack thereof, she'd been there awhile.

He turned abruptly at first frightened but smiled menacingly when he saw her. "Alice? Is that you, Alice?"

She raised her bo staff and began to advance when a high pitched whine filled the room. The Hatter froze before grabbing his head with his hands. He fell to the floor and began seizing. Several moments passed before he relaxed, drool dripping from his mouth.

"Whatever just happened worked. This guy won't be hurting anyone else anytime soon."

She turned to leave when she heard him again. "Allliiccccee," he slurred. "'S time fer tea."

She frowned down at him. "Not in this lifetime," she retorted, one strike from her staff knocking him unconscious.

The remaining dock workers immediately stopped fighting, looking around in a daze.

"Call the police," John said. Felicity did so, reporting suspicious activity and a possible break-in.

Dick looked around at the wounded and confused men. All in all, it could have been worse. The police would take care of The Mad Hatter. According to the Canary, he wasn't dead, but he'd be out of commission for the foreseeable future.

"Well, it's been fun. Thanks for the play date. We should do it again sometime." He vaulted up a stack of crates, climbing up a series of pipes until he reached the duct he'd dropped out of.

"I can follow him," said Roy.

"Not necessary," Dick replied, as he raced across the rooftop.

"No. Let him go. We need to leave. Now," declared Oliver.


	6. Chapter 6

_And we're done! Again, I really appreciate every kudos and comment. I really enjoyed writing Felicity/Dick and hope you got a little bit of enjoyment from them as well. Ultimately, I might be an Olicity shipper, but I wouldn't mind Dick giving Oliver a bit of competition._

Felicity paced back and forth in front of her desk. She'd already chipped her nail polish biting her thumbnail. Every thought she had was fleeting, and she couldn't stay on a topic long enough to think it through. Had Dick known who she was all along? Was he really a good guy? Had she compromised their entire mission?

She flinched when the door slammed open.

"You know who he is?" he thundered as he entered the foundry.

She took a deep breath before turning towards him. She was vaguely aware of Diggle, Roy, and Sara's arrival as well. "Yes, I mean no. I mean, I didn't know who he was until tonight."

"And you didn't think to run a background check?"

"No, Oliver, "masked vigilante" isn't a box people normally check on their taxes. And I don't need to run the credit score of every guy who shows interest in me."

"Right. Because you're too busy sleeping with them to…"

"Ollie!" shouted Sara. "Stop."

Felicity folded her arms. "No, please, let's continue that sentence. Because we all know I'm the only one who's put this team in danger by being overly friendly with an outsider. Right?"

Oliver ran his hands over his face. He stepped closer to Felicity. "I didn't mean…I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry."

Felicity tried to brush past him while muttering, "Mmm hmmm, sure," but was stopped by his hand on her forearm.

He waited until she looked him in the eyes. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "It's just…it just showed me how easy it would be to get close to you. To hurt you. If he wasn't a…good guy. Which I'm still not sold on."

"Don't you think I know that? Don't you think I'm kicking myself and second guessing everything he said? But I…I believe him. I have the same gut reaction to him that I had to you."

"You really trust him?"

She thought for a few moments before answering. "Yes, I do. At least I think I do."

Sara watched the two argue from across the foundry before looking at Diggle. "I didn't know."

"Know what?" he replied.

"That he was in love with her."

John uncrossed his arms and turned to look at Sara. She was frowning. "_He_ doesn't know yet. Or he's buried it so deep, he may never admit it."

She nodded up at him. "You know him pretty well."

The corner of his mouth turned up. "Let me let you in on a secret. He's not as complicated as he likes to think he is. You just have to pay attention and look a little deeper."

Hours later, after everyone had left the foundry, Sara sat next to Oliver on the couch where he was holding a sketchpad and pencil. He looked up when he felt the cushion shift.

"Hey. Just working on some new arrow head designs."

She nodded. "So I'm gonna see if my Dad's working the late shift tonight and wants to grab some coffee."

"Okay. I'll see you later."

"Mmm. No, I don't think you will."

Oliver stopped sketching and frowned. "What? Why not?"

She looked at him affectionately. "Ollie. This…" she gestured between them, "this was never going to be forever. I don't regret it, but I don't…" She sighed. "Someday, I'd like to find someone who looks at me like Nyssa used to." She leaned towards him and bumped him with her shoulder. "The way you look at Felicity."

He frowned. "What? No. I don't…she's…" He ran his hand over his face. "I _can't_."

"I don't believe that. You could. Maybe not now, but you could. But you also don't get to stop her from finding someone. You don't get to put her on a shelf until you're ready."

"I don't do that."

"Really? So, the whole Barry thing? This new guy?"

"Barry misrepresented himself. I was just looking out for her. How do you even know about that?"

"Digg likes to talk."

He narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, I doubt that. And this Grayson guy; he's trouble."

"Actually, he seems perfect. He'd understand her life. Plus, he looks good in leather."

He didn't respond, but the irritated look on his face told what he was thinking.

"I'm not telling you what to do. Just something you should think about. We lie to enough people; don't lie to yourself, too."

"Mmhmm." He didn't respond further.

She eyed him across the small table. He fidgeted a bit and slouched down in the chair. He'd debated whether to find Felicity last night and hash this all out, but the terse, "Don't call me" text followed by "Kaffeine, 9:30 tomorrow" had ended those thoughts.

He'd found her sitting near the back, an uneaten croissant paired with a large latte.

She exhaled sharply. "So, are we going to ignore what I know? And what I know that you know?"

"Yes?" He raised his eyebrows and smiled. At her look of disbelief, his face fell. "Um, so…no?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe we can just both know that we know. And go from there."

"I like the way you think. See? This is why I like you." When she didn't return his grin, he became serious. "You should know, last night…that had nothing to do with any of this. That was only because you're you, and I like you. I should've told you, but, uh, secret identities." He swept his hair out of his face. "It's complicated."

She smiled slightly. "Complicated. Yep. It is." She relaxed slightly. There had been a part of her that had been worried he'd just been using her. She'd sat up half the night trying to figure out how she gotten in this situation only to fall into a restless sleep around 4 am.

"I don't know that I can just believe anything you say now, though."

He stared at her for a minute before making a decision. "When I was younger, I went by Robin."

Her brow furrowed, confused. "Robin? I don't understand."

He leaned closer. "Instead of Nightwing, I went by Robin back in Gotham."

"Should I know what that means? Wait. The…the Batman had a sidekick…"

"Partner. I prefer partner."

"That was you. And Bruce Wayne had no idea you were running around the streets of Gotham at nig…oh. Ohh."

"Yeah." He looked sheepish. "That info would be worth a lot to a bunch of people."

"And you told me."

"Uh huh."

"Why?"

"Because this isn't a game, Felicity. And I know it seems like I don't take much seriously, but I do. I take what I do, what you and your friends do, very seriously."

They sat quietly for a moment.

"I would _never _say anything."

"I know. Or, I hoped."

They stared at each other and a mutual understanding passed between them.

"You're leaving soon." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah, in a few hours. That, I do regret. But fighting crime – especially when it's unsanctioned – can only put off the real world for so long."

"Blüdhaven's pretty far away."

"It is. Good thing I have access to a private jet."

She laughed. "How about we just…see what happens. No expectations. No promises."

"Deal. I can live with that."

He reached over and broke off a piece of her croissant and popped it in his mouth. "Hmmm…you need a name."

"I have a name."

"No, like a code name. Your _friends_ have names. You should have one, too."

"I don't think I need a name."

"My friend, the one I mentioned at dinner?"

"The ex?"

"Mmm, yeah, but we're cool. You remind me of her because you basically do the same thing."

Felicity looked at him confused.

"You know, the _same thing_ for people I know. She's the one who patched me into your frequency."

"Oh! Oh. She's good, then. I had that thing encrypted six different ways. And now ten because of her. Not cool by the way." Her lips pursed, then she sat up and leaned onto the table, curiosity getting the better of her. "What's her system like?"

"Ummm, computers. That she uses with other computers." He smiled. "Sorry, that's all I've got. Her system's pretty customized. For what it's worth, she had a hard time cracking your code. She was quite annoyed at first but by the end I think she had more than a little respect for your skills. I'd put you in contact with each other if I didn't think that would end badly. For me. And maybe the world…" he trailed off. "Anyway, the point of this is that she has a name. And so should you."

"Okay, okay. I'll think about it."

"Excellent."

"After you introduce us."

Dick closed his eyes. Nope. No no no. No way was he going to encourage that union.

"I'll…talk to her. She knows like, sixteen different ways to maim me."

At the serious look on face, Felicity laughed. Not the most sympathetic response so she covered, "Okay, how about you see if she's interested in a cybermeet. At least tell me her name." At his look, she continued, "Not her real name, we just went over that. Her code name or whatever you call it."

"Oracle."

Felicity dropped the spoon she was using to stir her latte and the clatter echoed in the mostly empty store. "Holy…you know the Oracle?"

Dick stared back at her wide eyed expression. "So, um, you're saying you've heard of her?"

"Of course! There's entire message boards dedicated to the 'completely secure' servers she's gotten into. I may – or may not – be a mod on one of them. Hell, she's one of my role models. Although, I didn't know it was a woman until now. But that makes it even better!"

"Yeah, I've reconsidered. I'm never letting the two of you meet."

Later that day, Oliver found Felicity in her usual spot in front of her computers. He hadn't handled last night well. He knew that. He wasn't good with words, but the gnawing feeling in the pit of his stomach wouldn't leave.

"Are you going to see him again?"

She spun her chair around and eyed him guardedly. "I don't know. I'd like to. He's…fun. But he lives all the way across the country so I don't see how it could really work. What's with me and guys from out of town? What are the guys in this town doing?" she laughed ruefully.

"Maybe they don't think they're good enough for you."

She looked up at him, but he wasn't looking at her. "Well, that's absurd. I'm not anything special..."

His gaze flew to hers. "You're wrong," he interrupted. "You are."

"I…uh…thanks. I just meant that I have just as many pros and cons as other Starling City women. I'm not out of anyone's league."

"No, but," he paused, "you're the girl you go all in on. The one you don't play games with. The one who makes you want to be a better man."

"Oh," she said quietly.

He stared back silently and she somehow got the feeling they weren't talking about Dick Grayson anymore.

But it was too much, too fast, so she deflected. "Yeah, well, tell that to my ex. He liked to play lots of games. Usually with waitresses… Anyway, back to Dick. At the very least, I think he'll be a good friend. Plus, it's good to set up a network of good guys. Might come in useful in the future. Maybe we should reach out to that Batman guy."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves."

She huffed. "Fine. You're no fun."

"I'm…fun."

He smiled at her skeptical look.

"Dick thinks I need a code name. So you don't reveal my identity over the comms. Which now has tripled security. They won't be breached again. You know, if anyone other than Oracle had done this, I would be much more upset. But this almost feels like, hmmm, what's the word…"

"What's an Oracle?" he asked confused.

"Oh yeah. I'll tell you about that later. So, yeah, sorry, sidetracked. Code names. I should have a code name."

"Yeah, you should. Do you have one in mind?"

She nodded.

He crossed his arms. "Alright. What do you want to be called?"

Felicity slowly smiled, her face lighting up right before she spoke.

_Fin_


End file.
